Thursday Dec 12, 2024
Thursday Dec 12, 2024
Monday, 4 December 2017 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
The Travelife Partner award was received by Go Vacation Lanka, Sri Lanka, in recognition for the long-term efforts and frontrunner position of Go Vacation Lanka regarding sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility.
Go Vacation Lanka complies with more than 100 criteria, related to an operators’ office management, product range, international business partners and customer information. The Travelife standard is covering the ISO 26000 Corporate Social Responsibility themes, including environment, biodiversity, human rights and labour relations; and is formally recognised as in full compliance with the UN supported Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria.
Go Vacation Lanka is the 10th company in Sri Lanka to have reached the Travelife Partner award.
Naut Kusters, Manager of Travelife for tour operators said, “I am delighted to see that sustainability in the tour operators sector is obtaining momentum. The award of the front runner Go Vacation Lanka will inspire other companies in Sri Lanka to follow the same path.”
Travelife, which has been established with the support of the European Commission, is the leading international sustainability certification for the travel sector. More than 35 national travel associations are promoting the scheme to their members including ABTA, The British Travel Association and PATA, the Pacific Asian Travel Association. Since 2012, more than 600 Asian companies have been trained in CSR with the support of the Dutch government CBI program. They are now working step-by-step towards more sustainable operations.
Travelife is a certification system, dedicated to achieving sustainable practices within the tourism industry. It provides companies with realistic sustainability goals, tools and solutions to implement positive change within their businesses and supply chains. Travelife is managed by ABTA – The Travel Association in the UK – and by ECEAT Projects – a not-for-profit organisation based in The Netherlands. Travelife has two key focuses:
Travelife for Tour operators and Travel agents: the system provides online training and practical tools for sustainability management and certification. The training and online tools are suitable for tour operators and travel agencies of any size and cover all management aspects of the travel company business including office operations, the supply chain, destinations and consumers. Upon submitting a report in compliance with the Travelife standard (based on an independent onsite audit), the company can obtain the “Travelife Certified” status.
The Travelife standard for Tour operators and Travel agencies is based upon the full Corporate Social Responsibility themes, including labour conditions, human rights, environment, biodiversity and fair business practices. The management requirements are compatible with EMAS and ISO 14001. The system is supported by more than 35 national travel associations to further its implementation among members.
